As your farmer, I am committed to helping to build our community, providing fresh
and healthy food to you and being a responsible steward of the farmland and our
ecosystem. The CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) model is an innovative way
for you to receive fresh vegetables each week and be a part of the Deri Farm
community. Healthy vegetables come from healthy soil. Using organic farming
methods, I am not just restoring the nutrients in the soil, but improving its
quality for our future.
-Justin Deri

Garlic scapes usually make an appearance for a couple of weeks in mid-June through early July. This year, they have arrived a bit early with all the warm and dry weather. The scapes grow out the top of the garlic plant, while the garlic cloves/bulbs grow underground. The 1 inch long bulbous portion of the scape contains bulbils or miniature bulbs. In theory, one could plant those bulbils when they mature and then harvest garlic two years later. Most people just save a certain amount of the cloves and plant those.

I know that some people believe that cutting the scapes off causes the plant to focus energy to the cloves. I have also heard that is doesn’t change the yield. I don’t know one way or the other, but I do know that cutting the scapes has no adverse effect on the garlic. Instead, it’s a nice early allium crop!

Recipes

Garlic scapes are milder than there subterranean sister, the clove. I compare them to a scallion vs an onion. In fact, you can use them in much the same way you would a scallion. Scapes are excellent in stir fries, added to eggs or meat rubs, or in a dish like mashed potatoes. If you have enough, they can also be turned in to a garlic scape pesto!